SINGAPORE: A man suffering from bird flu is in critical condition in southern Vietnam, health officials said on Tuesdya. The 22-year-old from Binh Duong province is the fourth person to contract the virus this year, sparking fears that the deadly avian virus could be returning en force. The man caught the virus reportedly after eating a meal that contained duck blood. Two others in the area have already died as a result of the virus as health authorities continue to scramble to contain the virus in South Vietnam. Truong Phu Son was first taken to hospital on 17 February with a high fever and respiratory failure. Tests showed he had contracted the H5N1 strain of the virus. Son is thought to have caught the virus from a meal of duck blood pudding, a kind of noodle soup that is served with pieces of congealed blood. On Sunday, the Animal Health Department raided shops in Son's hometown illegally trading in live poultry and slaughtering birds, the newspaper Viet Nam News reported. The area around his home was also disinfected. The department has prepared 1.2 million doses of vaccine against the virus which it will start using on Thursday. There have been 121 confirmed human H5N1 infections and 61 deaths in Vietnam since the virus first appeared in the country in 2003. The virus can be passed to humans who come in contact with uncooked poultry or poultry feces. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/u1Zqv Tags: Bird flu, featured, H5N1, Vietnam Section: East Asia, Health, Latest News
